Mother arrested,3 detained

Borivali police officers had collected the post-mortem report in which KEM doctors had ruled out any other possibility for the injuries and had stated the cause of death as severe head injuries.

“We studied the report carefully and also took suggestions from senior doctors. We had also sent a questionnaire to forensic doctors,following which we decided to register a murder case,” said Bhagwan Chate,senior inspector of Borivali police station.

Ahuti Joshi was admitted to KEM Hospital with severe head and abdominal injuries on September 24 by her parents Kalpesh and Dharmishtha. An X-ray and CT scan revealed she had multiple fractures on her skull. The baby died of a cardiac arrest around 1 pm on Monday.

The police had registered an accidental death case on Monday and recorded statements of the parents the following day. As they had not received the final post-mortem report by then,they had allowed the parents to take the body to Gujarat to perform the last rites.

Police had asked the doctors pointed questions about the injuries and specifically on how old the injuries were. “We learnt that the girl suffered injuries eight days before her death,which made it clear that she died due to the injuries to her skull that were caused or were suffered accidentally.”

Police will soon question a doctor at Shivani Hospital in Mulund,who had examined the child earlier. They have also seized the documents he had prepared when she was admitted.

“The investigating officer should have seized the documents when he had gone for a panchnama. However,we will also record the doctor’s statement.”

On Wednesday night,the police had asked Ahuti’s parents to return to Mumbai. “Once we establish who killed Ahuti,we will also probe the death of Ahuti’s twin sister,” he said.

Kalpesh,who works at a garment factory in Santacruz,had told the police that he had a 13-month-old daughter. When his wife was pregnant for the second time,she developed complications in the fifth month. The doctors had said she had twins. In the seventh month,doctors had suggested a C-section to save her life. One of the twin girls died 10 days after birth and the second,Ahuti,also developed complications,Kalpesh had told officers.

He said when Ahuti was unwell,they admitted her to a local clinic from where they shifted her to KEM on doctor’s suggestion.

Father’s version

Ahuti Joshi’s father Kalpesh,who works at a garment factory in Santacruz,had told the police that his wife Dharmishtha had developed complications in the fifth month of her second pregnancy. The doctors had said she had twins

In the seventh month,doctors had suggested a caesarean operation to save her life. One of the twin girls died 10 days after birth and the second,Ahuti,also developed complications. He said when Ahuti fell ill,they admitted her to a local clinic from where they shifted her to KEM